Real ID kicks in May 7th; will it be required for transportation other than air travel?

On the eve of the government’s new identification requirement, decades in the making, citizens were still sorting through the impact on domestic travel.

Rooted back more than 20 years ago to recommendations from the 9/11 Commission, Congress passed legislation to enforce a federal standard for identification known as REAL ID. After repeated extensions, the deadline was set to arrive May 7, leaving many without the star in the corner of their driver’s license wondering what that meant for their trips across the United States.

In a brief public service announcement from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, she sought to clarify the law by stating, “If you plan on traveling, we need your help to prevent delays and to prove your identity. Get a REAL ID. Starting May 7, you will need a REAL ID to travel by air or to visit federal buildings in the United States. These IDs keep our country safe because they help prevent fraud and they enhance security. Please do your part to protect our country. Go today and don’t delay.”

REAL ID will make America safer and more secure. Starting May 7, you will need a REAL ID to fly.

Illegal aliens should not be allowed to fly in the U.S. UNLESS SELF DEPORTING. pic.twitter.com/BAqBJOyJVp

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 5, 2025

Specifically, the law regulated accessing federal buildings, nuclear power plants, and boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft, meaning that other forms of domestic travel would not be impacted when the REAL ID deadline arrived. So drivers, bus riders, cruise takers and even train riders on the federally operated Amtrak would not experience any change in identification requirements.

The same went for those under the age of 18-years-old who, in most states, weren’t able to get more than a learner’s permit until 15-years-old.

As for those of age who arrived at the airport without a REAL ID after the deadline, DHS explained, “Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant and who do not have another acceptable alternative (i.e. Passport) can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint.”

Without a REAL ID, passport or other federal identification like a Department of Defense ID, Americans traveling domestically will be required to fill out a Certification of Identity form — TSA Form 415 — for officials to confirm their identity, at which point they could still be subject to additional screening before getting cleared through security.

In further defense of the federal identification requirement, Noem had said during an appearance on Fox News that it would help enforce border security, as 19 states currently issue driver’s licenses to noncitizens. She also attempted to allay mounting concerns about the implementation of the law, as DHS contended 81% of citizens were already REAL ID compliant.

Despite the secretary’s kitschy rhyme in her PSA, traveler’s weren’t at fault for some delays as, for example, in New Jersey it had been reported in April that there were “0 appointments available” for those seeking to resolve their REAL ID deficiency ahead of the deadline despite the “extraordinarily high” demand for compliance.

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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